rpsgroup.com/Ireland Food for Thought Technology Advances Adrian Thompson CIWM & DoENI Consultation Seminar 15 November 2013

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Contents of Presentation  Technology Advances –Anaerobic Digestion –In-Vessel Composting  Anaerobic Digestion Pro’s and Con’s  In-Vessel Composting Pro’s and Con’s  Current Level of Development

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Anaerobic Digestion What is Anaerobic Digestion  Anaerobic – in the absence of air  Digestion – material digested by bacteria to break down the product to a sludge / compost like material and produce a gas (biogas)  Biogas combusted to produce electricity and heat

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Public Types of AD and Feedstock Types of AD  Wet: Pumped and stirred  Dry: Stacked or pushed through as a plug Typical Farm Feedstock  Animal manure  Silage  Waste crops (Potatoes, cabbage etc)  Energy crops (e.g. Miscanthus)  Dairy wastes More Complex Feedstock  Household waste (Separately collected organic)  Food processing waste

rpsgroup.com/Ireland The AD Process

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Example AD Layout

rpsgroup.com/Ireland AD Outputs / Pro’s Digestate  Potential artificial fertiliser replacement –Whole Digestate –Dry Fraction –Wet Fraction Biogas  Can be combusted in an engine to generate electricity and heat

rpsgroup.com/Ireland AD Considerations / Con’s Electricity Grid Connection  Is grid connection possible? Feedstock  Are sufficient tonnages of feedstock guaranteed for continuous operation?  Are these homogenous in nature? Sufficient Land to Spread Digestate  Is there sufficient land to spread the digestate (PAS 110 compliance and closed spreading season)? Monitoring  Need for continuous monitoring of the system Finance  Significant capex and opex costs

rpsgroup.com/Ireland In-Vessel Composting What is In-Vessel Composting  In-Vessel – in an enclosed system (building or container)  Composting – a biological process in which micro-organisms convert organic matter into a stabilised residue

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Types of In-Vessel Composting & Feedstock's Types of In-Vessel Composting  Containers  Silos  Agitated Bays  Tunnels  Enclosed Halls Feedstock  Green Waste  Food Wastes

rpsgroup.com/Ireland The In-Vessel Composting Process

rpsgroup.com/Ireland In-Vessel Composting Outputs / Pro’s Outputs  Compost (PAS100 / Animal By-Product Compliance)  Residual fraction Benefits  Green waste and food waste can be the input waste  Less sensitive to changes in feedstock input  Reduces waste volume  Reduces biodegradability of the waste

rpsgroup.com/Ireland In-Vessel Composting Con’s  Large energy usage in aeration and odour control  Large capital costs  Large area required for compost maturation  Product quality and market for final compost  Continuous monitoring

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Current Level of Development Existing Capacity *Source NIEA Public Register SiteWaste TypeTechnology Type NWP Glenside Non-hazardous including biodegradable In-Vessel Composting NWP KeadyOrganicComposting Greenacre CompostingBiodegradableComposting SimproOrganicComposting

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Future Development Future Capacity *Source rx3 SiteWaste Type Technology Type Annual Capacity (t) B9 Organic Energy LtdCategory 2 and 3 Anaerobic Digestion 50,000

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Organic Resource Management Facilities *Source rx3

rpsgroup.com/Ireland Summary Both Anaerobic Digestion and In-Vessel Composting have their place in the market Anaerobic Digestion  Energy recovery  Digestate – potential fertiliser In-Vessel Composting  Potential for a quality compost  Can accept food wastes and green waste co-mingled  Less sensitive to changes in feedstock quantity and quality

rpsgroup.com/Ireland For Further Information Contact: Adrian Thompson